The Equestrian Tales
by AngelicDemonSlayer
Summary: What happens when you turn a human into pony and drop him into Equestria? Well Storm Rider is about to find out.
1. Chapter 1

The Equestrian Tales

Chapter 1

Episode 0: It Started with a Migraine

My slumber was interrupted with the throbbing pain of my head. The pain ebbed and flowed with each heartbeat. The taste of bile was on my tongue. Waking up with a migraine was not a good way to start the day. The shaking of my bed was not helping my stomach either. That was strange. My bed doesn't move. I struggled to open my eyes. I saw only white at first. The light only increased my pain. I fought through the pain to focus my eyes. Soon shapes took forms. I found myself laying on the floor. There were rows of benches on either side of me. The world zipped by in multiple windows around the benches. My mind began to process what I saw, heard, and felt. I was in the last car of a train.

The fast moving images outside only increased my nausea. I could feel vomit building up. I looked around for a bin to put the nasty substance about to erupt from my body, but I saw nothing. The pressure continued to build. I knew there was no stopping it. I scrambled to the nearest window and threw it open. As I thrust my head out the window, the flood gates burst open as a stream of vile liquid flowed from my mouth like a snake. The putrid serpent slithered along the side of the car before scattering to the wind. After a few more heaves, my stomach was empty.

I took a deep breath to steady myself. That was when my next surprise hit me. I closed my eyes and breathed deeper. The air was so fresh and clean. There were so many fragrances in the air it was intoxicating. As I opened my eyes, I truly saw my world for the first time. Green fields and blue skies stretched out before me in vibrant colors too beautiful for words. My vision trailed back the way I had come. A giant mountain rose up before my eyes. A gleaming white and gold castle jutted out along the mountain face. The castle looked familiar, but I could not place where. Where was I? For that matter, who was I?

I rubbed my chin pondering these questions, but nothing came to mind. While my mind stirred for answers, I noticed the thing rubbing my chin was a blue hoof. Drawing back into the car, I traced the fur leading back to me. In fact, there was not one but four hooves connected to me. I then noticed my ears were coming out of the top of my head and the end of my spine was sticking out of my rear coated in pure white hairs. I was a horse of some kind, but that wasn't right. I scratched my head wondering what it was supposed to be. As I continued to look myself over, I noticed blue feathers blended in with the fur. Wondering how to move them, a pair of wings unfolded a little from my back. I was a horse with wings. That made me a pegasus.

As I examined the wings, something green caught my eye. Replying to sub concuss thoughts, my wings opened up to let me have a better look. On the outside of my hind leg was a black flame lined in green. Within the flame was a green ring with a bar attached to the opposite ends of the ring. Within the ring was a long white skull stretching from one bar to the other. It was a strange mark, yet it seemed familiar. As I finished taking stock, I began to wonder how I was supposed to move.

"Well quadrupeds and bipeds have the same kind of bones that move relatively in the same way," I told myself aloud. "Wait. How do I know that, but not my own name?" I added scratching my head. Taking my own words into account, I took a few steps around the car. This came relatively easy once I got started. Even in a body that was clearly not my own, I seemed to have a good sense of balance. As I finished a circuit around the car, the sound of screeching metal assaulted my ears. I braced myself to no avail and stumbled forward. I landed with my face on the floor and my rear in the air. This was definitely not one of my more graceful moments.

I picked myself up and headed to the next car to get off. I was about to get off when someone called to me from behind.

"Wait, sir," the voice said. I turned around to see a light blue pony in a navy blue hat and vest. He looked like he was working with his white collar and red tie. The fact that he had a long black mustache wrapping around his head looked a little strange to me. "You almost forgot your bag," he said motioning to a blue suitcase with a black flame on it. I checked my hind quarter to confirm it was the same mark.

"Oh, right," I answered a little embarrassed. I walked over to the suitcase and wondered how I was supposed to pick it up. I ended up trying to pick it up with my mouth. I was unsure of how heavy the suitcase was or how strong my neck was, so I used a lot of my strength and jerked it up. I managed to hold onto it as it flew up which caused me to stumble back. I managed to also maintain my footing even when the suitcase came back down and smacked me in the chest.

"Are you okay, sir?" The stallion asked with a curious look.

"I'm fine," I nervously muffled through the handle. "Thanks," I called back as I exited the train.

As I stepped off the train, I once again took stock of my surroundings. I saw multiple ponies on and off the platform bustling about. There were ponies with wings, with horns, and some with neither horns nor wings. There were ponies with coats and manes of many different colors and many different mane styles. Most of the ponies had marks on their flanks in a variety of symbols. Many of the young ones did not have a mark.

I then took note of what I didn't see. Nobody was approaching me, and no one appeared to be looking for someone. This told me two things. Either this was not my stop, or no one was expecting me. With the train pulling away, I hoped the first possibility was wrong.

I walked up to the window on the platform to look at my reflection. I set my bag down and stared at the pony starring back at me. The horse face in the mirror did not stir any memories. The emerald eyes looked right, but something was still off. The spiky pure white mane flowing back looked right, and yet at the same time it didn't look right.

As I examined my reflection, I noticed a blue horn peeking through my mane. I had a horn and wings. I was an alicorn. Alicorns were rare. I needed to hide that horn. I brushed a hoof through my mane, and the horn seemed to vanish. Wait. How did I know that, but still did not remember my own name.

I shook my head in frustration and moved off the platform with my suitcase back in my mouth. I needed information about what I was and where I was. If I knew that, it might give me a clue as to who I really was and where I came from. A library would have helped. The conductor had announced this was Ponyville. Ponyville had a tree library. I shook my head in frustration. Once again I knew something small and obsolete but I still couldn't remember my own name. It was really starting to get on my nerves.

Despite my frustration, the random data did give me something to look for. As I began my search, a high pitched scream pierced my ears. The scream wasn't from a pony, but I did recognize that sound from somewhere. I set my bag down and strained my ears searching for the source. It kept changing pitch and volume. It was air, fast moving air. Where was it coming from, and what was making it? My search was interrupted by an actual scream. I turned my head in time to see a blue blur before it smashed into me. My world tumbled end over end before turning to black.

For the second time today, I was in pain. It didn't really hurt when my suitcase hit me, but I had to admit whatever had just hit me that really hurt. I groaned as I struggled to open my eyes. My vision was filled by a rainbow of colors. My eyes focused to reveal that it was hair, hair in six different colors. A feminine moan alerted me to the weight on top of me. The alto voice told me it was female, and the direction it was coming from told me that it was her tail in my face. I didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. I cleared my throat and asked calmly,

"Whoever is on top of me, would you be so kind as to get off?"

"Oops," she nervously laughed as the weight was lifted from my back. "Sorry about that," she added. I stretched my front legs until I heard a couple of satisfying pops in my back. My wings also stretched out to give me a couple more pops. As I relaxed and my wings folded back, I ran a hoof through my mane to make sure my horn was still hidden.

I then turned to where the sound of the sorry came from. To my surprise, it was above me. That was when I got my next surprise. My eyes beheld a beautiful pegasus mare. Her coat glistened and was blue like the color of the clear sky. Her rainbow colored mane sparkled from the sunlight shining behind it. The mark on her flank was that of a cloud with a single multi-colored lightning bolt coming out of it. Her powerful wings moved in a steady rhythm to keep her aloft. Her reddish purple eyes and smug smile spoke of her great strength and confidence. I didn't know what I really was, but it wasn't an alicorn or anything close. In spite of that, I was captivated by her.

"You okay?" She asked. I shook my head violently to shake the stupor out of me. I cleared my throat and regained my composure.

"I'm fine," I said casually as I moved back over to my bag. "So, do you crash into everypony like that, or am I just lucky?"

"Sorry about that," she apologized with a laugh as she flew over to join me while remaining in the air. "I was practicing one of my new moves that didn't really work."

"Right," I commented unimpressed.

"I got tickets to the Wonder Bolt derby next week, and I'm going to show them my stuff," she bragged.

"So you're going to interrupt one of their events to show them up. I'm sure they'll take that well."

"Well maybe not during, but they will see it. They even might make me a Wonder Bolt right there."

"Ah ha," I muttered still unimpressed. "You got a name to go with that ego?"

"Excuse me?" She asked a little annoyed.

"I'm just sayin' that's a pretty big ego for such a small pony," I added emphasizing the small part by hovering one of my hooves a few inches off the ground.

"Hey!" She screamed getting into my face while staying in the air. "The name is Rainbow Dash, and I'm the fastest flyer in Equestria."

"More like Rainbow Smash," I coolly shot back.

"Who do you think you are?" She asked getting closer. Because I hadn't backed down or up for that matter, we were nose to nose.

"No one special," I simply answered.

"Really, because I say you're…wait. What?" Dash asked moving back. My answer had caught her a little by surprise.

"Look. I'm new in town, and I'm looking for the library. You wouldn't happen to know where that is?"

"Yeah, it's in that big tree around the corner. It's kind of hard to miss. What are you, some kind of egghead?"

"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not," I replied with a sly grin.

"Oh, I see now," she said landing in front of me on the other side of my suitcase. "I know that attitude. You're the best flyer from your home town and don't think anypony can beat you. Let's have a race, and I'll show you why I'm the best."

"Yeah, no thanks," I said uninterested.

"Alright," she said flying up, "we'll make three loops around town. Wait. What?"

"No thanks," I repeated. "I'm not interested."

"Oh, I get it," she said landing again. "You think because I'm a mare, I couldn't keep up."

"Actually, I just don't care," I corrected.

"Huh?" She tilted her head at me confused.

"You could be better than me," I clarified. "I could be better than you. It makes no difference to me." As I finished, I picked up my bag and began to walk away.

"Oh, okay," Dash said a little sad with her wings drooping. When I looked back at her, she seemed sad. Scratch that. She was sad. I could actually feel her sorrow. It was interesting how I could feel the emotions of others around me. Of course I could. I was an empath, and that was what empaths do. Again, what was with the random data, but never the important facts? With a sigh, I set my bag back down and asked,

"You really wanted to race, didn't you?"

"It's kind of what I do," she answered still a little glum. I flexed my wings a little deciding on my next move.

"Look," I started, "my wings are a little stiff right now, so I doubt I could give you a good race. Give me a couple of days to work them out, and then we can have a race."

"Yeah!" She screamed instantly cheering up and taking to the sky, "you are going to eat my dust."

"Again, don't care," I reminded her.

"Who are you?" She asked with a laugh moving closer.

"No one special," I simply answered.

"Yeah. Yeah. I heard that, but what's your name?" She asked moving even closer.

"My name," I repeated. I sat down to think about it. Glancing over at the symbol on my suitcase, two words immediately came to mind. They would have to do for now. "Just call me Storm Rider."

"Okay, Storm Rider," she said turning around quick and smacking me in the nose with her rainbow colored tail, "I'll see you around. By the way, my name is Rainbow Dash," she said over her shoulder before taking off at high speed. An actual rainbow trailed behind her. I whistled impressed.

"Rainbow Dash," I repeated. "It fits. Now where is that library?" I asked myself as I picked up my bag and continued on. As I rounded the corner, I beheld a large tree in the middle of town with windows and a door. "She was right," I muffled through the handle. "That was hard to miss." I made a bee line for the library. However before I could reach the door, I became unable to move forward, although it wasn't me that was frozen. After multiple attempts in different directions, I let go of my bag only to have it remain suspended in the air. I sat down and began examining my bag. My bag wasn't touching anything. There was no reason for it not to move. I did notice a faint light blue glow around my suitcase. As I was examining my bag, I felt a tap on my shoulder.

"Excuse me, Darling," a mature feminine voice spoke to me. I turned to see a beautiful white unicorn mare. Her coat sparkled in the sunlight. Her purple mane swirled around itself on one side of her face, and her tail had a similar twist to it. Her eye lids were a light blue that complemented her darker blue eyes. Her long eye lashes fluttered as she addressed me.

"Can I help you?"

"As a matter of fact, do you see those bags over there?" She asked motioning to a couple of stallions trying to move a lot of seemingly heavy bags into a pair of carts. I then noticed a faint glow around her horn that matched the glow around my bag.

"Is this your doing?" I asked motioning to my suitcase.

"Well yes. I couldn't seem to get your attention any other way. Now if you could just…," the mare started.

"Could you put it down?" I asked cutting her off.

"Of course, Dear," she said as my bag lowered to the ground, and the glow faded from my suitcase and her horn. "Now it you would be so kind as to help move those bags, I would so appreciate it." I glanced back at the struggling stallions before I answered,

"Yeah, no thanks."

"But I'm sure it would be no trouble for a big strong stallion like yourself," she swooned while batting her long eye lashes. She was a pretty mare, but her emotions told me she wasn't that attracted to me. She was just trying to charm me into doing work for her.

"Look. I'm a little busy right now. Maybe some other time," I replied picking my bag back up. She immediately dropped to her stomach and wrapped her front legs around one of my hind legs. Tears filled her eyes.

"But I really need your help," she whimpered. Once again her emotions told me it was another attempt to charm me.

"Yeah, that's not going to work on me," I muffled slipping my hoof out of her grasp. I entered the tree library and shut the door behind me leaving the mare sitting there mouth agape.

I set my bag down after shutting the door. I didn't know who that mare was, but I didn't feel like being manipulated. I found a light switch along the wall and flipped it on. As the room brightened, I surveyed my surroundings. It seemed to be bigger on the inside than it did on the outside. The walls were filled with books on shelves carved out of the walls themselves. In fact, almost everything except the books were made of wood and or carved out of the tree itself. Stairs led to rooms in the branches and down into the roots. There were even more rooms in the back of the main room. The main room had a round table, reading podium, and a pedestal with a horse head on it.

I checked the loft in the branches. It was an enclosed room with a fireplace and a bed. I found it a little strange to have a fire place in a tree. I felt like it belonged to someone, but the room clearly had not been used by anyone for some time. This room had a desk and more books lining the walls. I continued my exploration in to the roots. I found a large room buried beneath the tree. The door was placed near the ceiling of the room with steps leading to the bottom of the room. Compared to the rest of the tree, there weren't too many books in this room. This would have made a good laboratory. Why did I think that?

Continuing my search in the roots, I found another bedroom. This one was simpler than the one in the loft. There was a desk in this one too while it was lined with more books. The bed was embedded into the wall. This was definitely a library. Although I did find it a little strange to have bed rooms, and yet it seemed right.

I returned to the main room to begin my research. I decided this was also a good time to try using magic. That mare had a glow around her horn that matched the glow around my bag. I figured the horn was being used as a focal point. I focused on one book and imaged it lifting up. I felt a power within me. I tried to channel the power through the horn and to the book. I thought about it coming to me. The book lifted off the shelf and drifted to me. I found this kind of magic did not require a lot of effort, but it did require concentration and visualization. I walked over to the podium with the book in tow. My magic did falter for a second, but I recovered right away.

I set the book down on the podium and used my hoof to open the book. I began my studying. The language did not look familiar, but I still understood what was written. So I did not have trouble reading it, but I did have trouble turning the pages with my hoof. After about the tenth page of having trouble turning the page, I decided to try turning the page with magic. Focusing the power within me through the horn, I easily turned the page. As I began to read the page, I kept feeling like I had already read it. I figured it was caused because of the previous bad page turning and ignored the feeling. However by the time I got half was through the book, the feeling had only gotten stronger. I then realized I was speed reading the pages as I turned the pages with magic. The feeling wasn't there if I used my hoof or nose to turn the page, but it was there every time I used my magic to turn the page.

I picked the book up with my magic and quickly flipped through the remaining pages. I closed my eyes to assets the new knowledge. This was a book about ice spells. I flipped through the book again a little slower this time. I felt like I understood the spells in the book. I concentrated and tried to use one of them. I felt the power flow from my horn and formed a small ice crystal.

"Well that will certainly make this go faster," I commented to myself. I set the book back down on the podium and put the ice crystal on the table. I moved to the center of the room and pulled a random book from the shelf to me. I used my magic to flip through the pages. It was another spell book. This time it was cleaning spells. "Those might come in handy," I muttered as I flipped through it again slowly to really get the spells. As I finished the book, I let it drop to my hooves before grabbing another book to flip through it. Hours pasted as I poured through book after book. The sky began to grow dark as weariness started to overtake me. I was tired mentally from speed reading so many books and physically from the constant use of magic. I fought the drowsiness, but the world still faded to black in the end.


	2. Chapter 2

The Equestrian Tales

Chapter 2

Episode 0.5: The First Flight

A bright light struck my face arousing me from my slumber. I awoke to find myself laying on a pile of book, my head resting on the pages of one of them. I wiped the drool from my mouth as I surveyed my surroundings to let the memories of yesterday catch up with me.

I was in a town called Ponyville in the body of an alicorn calling myself Storm Rider with no memory of what I really was or what my real name was. I spent all of yesterday reading books with magic. As I glanced over the pile of books beneath me, I noticed I had accidently drooled onto one I fell asleep on. I quickly used my magic to clean the book and checked for damage. Satisfied the book was unharmed; I finally heard my stomach rumble loudly. I realized I didn't eat at all yesterday, well as far as I knew.

I searched the pile of books for the one that had the cleaning spells. I pulled the book from the bottom of the pile with my magic. I read a lot of interesting books yesterday. There were ice spells, wind spells, teleportation spells, levitation spells, and transfiguration spells. I found the transfiguration spells very interesting for some reason. I found books on multiple different creatures, but nothing seemed familiar. I still didn't know what I was. I even found a book on the art of the to-do list. I had no idea who would want to read that. I didn't find any books on alicorns. I learned a lot, but none of the things I found were what I was looking to find.

I flipped through the cleaning spell book again with my magic. Using a spell from the book, my magic enveloped all of the books in the pile and sent them zooming back to the shelves where they came from.

"Well those spells will certainly come in handy," I commented to myself. My stomach rumbled again to remind me of my hunger. I didn't find any food in the library yesterday, so I was going to have to buy some. That raised a new question. How was I going to pay for it?

I glanced over to my suitcase which I hadn't touched since I came to the library. I walked over and opened the suitcase. At first, I thought it was full of clothes. However there was a large piece that looked different from the rest. I poked at it only to hear the jingle of metal. I realized I had opened it upside down. I closed it back and flipped it over. As I reopened the suitcase, the contents surprised me. I carefully pulled each item out with my magic: a sword with a gleaming white scabbard and gold hilt, leather bound book, a folded up saddle bag, what looked like formal clothes, a large pull string bag, and a single scroll placed at the top. I pawed the bag open with my hoof and used my magic to removed two gold coins from the bag. I guessed it was a form of currency. I turned back to the scroll. It was odd that there was only one and nothing to write with. It almost seemed like a note. I unrolled it to find it was just that. I began to read the note:

Dear Traveler,

You may be very confused as to what has happened to you. You may have also noticed a lack of memories. I assure you. Those will return in time. You may or may not have noticed this is not your world and the form you currently are in is not your own. While I cannot tell you what you are or where you are from, I can promise I am working to return you from where you came. However I am not able to send you back at this time. For now you are an alicorn known as Storm Rider. However alicorns are rare, so you may want to try and hide that fact. Your plight troubles me, so I have provided a few things you may need. While my realm is peaceful, there are still dangers in the uncharted regions. I hope this sword serves you well. You may have noticed that other ponies do not often wear clothes, but there are occasions where formal attire is called for. I hope these clothes are to your liking. I have also you provided you with a sack of bits or coins that is our standard currency. As long as do not go crazy with your spending, it should last you for a while. You will find a book in the suitcase. This book may contain a few answers you seek. However I must advise that this book is for your eyes only. No pony else is to see the contents of this book except you, not even me. Finally, the train you are on should bring you to a town called Ponyville. There is a tree library there. You may feel free to stay there as long as you like. For all of this I only ask for one thing. My faithful student, Twilight Sparkle, will be arriving there in a few days with her assistant the baby dragon Spike. She will also be staying in the library. I would ask that you watch over my student and any friends she might make in Ponyville. In return, I will find a way to send you home as soon as I can. I wish you the best of luck in your adventures.

Respectfully,

Princess Celestia

I let the scroll roll back up as the information sank in. The letter did not answer any questions, but it did confirm a few things I had already guessed at. I didn't feel like I had read the letter before, but then how did I know some of what it said. If I was supposed to stay in the library, maybe the loft was supposed to be mine. That wasn't right. I then wondered maybe that was where this Twilight Sparkle and Spike slept. This felt right, but how did I know that. The letter mentioned the book might have answered. Before I could open it, my stomach reminded me of the current problem at hand.

I removed a few coins from the bag and tucked them into my wing. I then cleaned my mess by using a spell to return everything neatly back to the suitcase. I used my magic to pick up the suitcase and headed down stairs with the bag in tow. I found the second bedroom and tossed the suitcase on the bed. The book would have to wait for now. I then proceeded back up the stairs. I ran a hoof through my mane to hide my horn before finally heading out the door.

Well on the bright side, I had gotten off at the right stop. However this posed a different problem. Even though I was headed for Ponyville, I hadn't been expected. This meant I didn't know anyone in town, so I wondered how I was going to find anything. I began to wonder through town. The smell of food soon entered my nostrils. I followed the scent until I saw a building with large glass windows. A large sign stood atop of it depicting a drink and a form of burger. My mouth instantly began to water.

I fought the urge to run inside. As I entered, I spied ponies of all kinds eating around small round tables. The ponies would order from a central counter and then seat themselves. This must be their version of fast food. The unicorns were carrying their trays with magic. Everyone else had a tray connected to a harness around their necks. I walked up to the counter and asset the menu, specifically the prices. The main item seemed to be a hay burger. Well when in Rome, I thought. Wait. Where did that phrase come from? I wasn't in Rome, or was I? I shook off my confusion and checked the number of coins I had brought. I managed to unfold my wing in a way to set all of the coins on the counter. I ordered as much food as it would buy me, which happened to be a fair amount. The pony behind the counter brought back a tray harness with two hay burgers, three orders of fries in the shape of horse shoes, and a drink.

I slipped the harness over my head and proceed to one of the empty tables away from the windows. Effortlessly I freed myself from the harness and eyed the food. I tentatively picked up one of the hay burgers between my hooves. The burger was just hay, lettuce, tomato, and what I thought was cheese between a pair of buns. A red sauce dripped from the strange confection. I took a small nibble unsure of what would happen. The growl of my stomach immediately began to lessen. Seeing as my system did not instantly reject the new food, I took a little bit bigger bite to really taste it. It was definitely something I had never tried before. It wasn't too bad. I accounted it to the new horse taste buds. In any case, it was satisfying my hunger. At that point, my ravenous hunger took over, and I practically inhaled the rest of the food. My plate was clean in a minute. I followed up by sucking up my drink in a single gulp.

I sighed with relief having filled my belly. I felt a burp well up inside me. I began to take deep breaths. I did not know why I was doing that. I felt the burp bubble up. It swelled within me until it erupted from my mouth. The burp was so loud it almost shook the entire restaurant. I couldn't help but double over in laughter at the sheer volume of the burp. I then noticed I was the only one laughing. I straighten back up and gave an embarrass apology struggling to not continue laughing. I gathered up my trash, threw is away, and nervously left still fighting back the giggles.

As I stepped back outside, I tried to decide on my next course of action. The book of possible answers laid in wait for me back in the library. However while my stomach was full now, that would not be true later. I needed to store up at least a little food.

As I debated my next move, a grey pegasus flew by. I could have sworn her yellow eyes that matched her mane were looking in two different directions. Of course that might have explained her goofy smile and hap hazard flying. My thoughts drifted back to my own wings. I had managed to use them, but I wasn't sure how. I didn't know how they worked, so I still couldn't fly. I remembered I promised that blue pegasus a race. If I was going to hide as a pegasus, I needed to learn how to fly. The other stuff would have to wait.

I set off on a road leading out of town. A pegasus of my age learning to fly would draw too much attention. I needed to find some place where there weren't a lot of ponies around. I wasn't far outside of town when I came across row upon row of apple trees. They were fenced off from the road. It was a farm, a large apple farm.

As I admired the delicious looking apples, I heard a pair of grunts. I peered through the trees to see who making the noise. Among the trees, I saw an orange mare with her golden mane and tail tied at the tips. She removed her brown cowboy hat and wiped the seat from her brow. Replacing the hat, she kicked at one of the trees with her powerful legs. Apples fell from the tree into baskets at the base of the tree. I knew I wasn't a pony, but once again I was captivated by a mare.

My attention was broken by a huskier grunt. I turned to see a red stallion. His short orange mane ruffled as lifted one leg and kicked a tree. Nearly all of the apples fell out of the tree. I had to admit that was impressive. A yellow blur then caught my eye. It was a little filly. Her red mane bobbed as she zipped about assisting the other two. I had to admit she was kind of cute with the big pink bow in her mane. The trio looked busy. I thought it was better not to disturb them, and continued on my way.

I came across a small clearing. A mountain ridge rose up behind the trees. A few woodland creatures scurried about, but I didn't see another pony. I was alone for the most part. I glanced back at my wings and began to wonder how wings even worked.

"Well, a bird has the same type of bones that move relatively the same way as a quadruped and biped," I muttered off to myself. "Well if that's true, they should work just like my front legs. I just have six limbs instead of four." I concentrated on moving my wings like I did my front legs. They turned out to be very easy to control, but how did I fly. How does a bird fly? "Well a bird's wing is shaped so that the fast moving air under the wing and slow moving air about the wing creates lift," I muttered off as if answering my own question. "A bird flying is just a series of catches and falls using the moving and warm rising air to stay aloft and move about in the air," I continued. "Pretty much, birds, sort of, swim through the air. Wow," I exclaimed. "I know the anatomy of birds and basic aeronautics, but I still don't know my own name. How ironic," I sarcastically commented.

Armed with this new knowledge, I decided to give it a try. I needed moving air. I might get enough if I jumped. I hadn't used much energy to move about, so I wasn't sure how strong I was. If my neck was any indication, I should have plenty of strength in my legs. I backed up to the edge of the clearing to get a running start. I shook out all six limbs to get them loose. Taking a deep breath, I crouched down and letting my muscles coil up tight ready to spring. I took another deep breath extending my wings and leveling them with ground. I took one final deep breath to steady myself. I uncoiled my muscles and shot forward like a bullet. As I neared the opposite edge of the clearing, I gave a small hop. In the air, I raised my wings high and tucked my legs close to me. As I touched down, I jumped as hard as I could while bringing my wings back down. I wasn't holding anything back.

I was lifted off the ground but barely missed the tree tops. I pumped my wings trying to gain speed. My legs kicked in tune with my wings trying to run on air. I tilted to my side and banked around to face the clearing. I dove for the clearing to increase my speed. I pulled out of the dive at even greater speed. I pumped my wings hard, but I wasn't gaining enough altitude. I felt a column of warm air near me. I extended my wings and drifted into the rising air. I circled higher and higher riding the column of air like an elevator. I rose above the ridge before slipping off and circled above the clearing. I had only been up for a minute, but my wings and lungs already burned from exhaustion.

I spotted a single white cloud hovering in the air. I glided over and plopped down on it. I was breathing heavily while my wings laid motionless next to me. Rainbow made this look so easy. Even that grey pegasus made it look easy. I licked my lips and took a deep breath as I sat up. What were they doing that I wasn't doing. As I wiped the sweat from my brow, I remembered my horn. I had used magic by channeling a power within me through the horn. Could the pegasus have a similar power that they channeled through their wings instead of a horn? It was worth a shot.

I took another deep breath to center myself. I began to feel the power within me. I noticed a second power within me. This one was much different. It seemed almost out of place in this world. At the same time, it felt pure and somehow familiar. I would have to explore it later. I focused on the first one. But instead of channeling it into my horn, I focused it to my wings. The burn of my wings began to subside. With one final breath, I closed my eyes and pushed off from the cloud and beat my wings.

As I opened my eyes, I found myself hovering above the cloud to my surprise. I began to circle the clearing. I found it much easier this time. In fact, I was flying faster. I wondered what the extent of my aerial acrobatics was. I tilted part of each wing which sent me into a spin. I then tried midair back flips. With each one, I made the loop tighter and tighter. Now that I was channeling the power through my wings, my knowledge of aeronautics made me very agile in the air. I practiced a few midair kicks using the momentum of my flight. I spotted the cloud again and dove for it. As I neared it, I straightened my wing and sliced right through it. The two halves popped in a puff and disappeared. Now I was just having fun. I spotted a small cluster of clouds even higher up. Licking my lips, I dove down a little before pulling up and aiming for the center of the cluster. I was going to hit them from below.

As I neared them, I went into a corkscrew spin churning the air around me. As I passed, the vortex I created pulled the cluster together into one big cloud. I spread my wings and dropped down on it. I immediately plopped down on my back relaxing on my new comfy bed.

Then a thought occurred to me. Clouds were merely water vapor that condensed in the cold air of higher altitude before it gathered together and got heavy enough to fall back to earth. So how was able to sit on one? I then remembered that anything that could fly could sit on a cloud. I grunted in frustration. How did I know all this but not my own name?

I gave a deep sigh as I started to mull over everything I had learned so far. I was in a world ruled by ponies of four types: pegasus, unicorns, alicorns, and earth ponies. Where did that last one come from? Those with horns could use magic, and those with wings could fly. I wasn't really an alicorn, but I wasn't sure what I was. I seemed to have a lot of scientific knowledge in a variety of fields. I thought like a scientist, but I moved like an athlete of some kind. Despite not being from this world, I seemed to know a lot about it. Many of these names seemed familiar: Twilight Sparkle, Princess Celestia, Rainbow Dash, and Ponyville. These places also looked familiar too. But if I was from a different world, how did I know about them. It was almost as if I had seen them before.

Then something clicked in my mind. I had seen them before. It was a show called "My Little Pony." I watched it when I was human. That meant I was in Equestria. As the gravity of this truth sank in, other things became clearer. I recognized the two ponies I had ogled and the mare I had snubbed.

"Wow," I commented to myself, "Celestia asked me to look after Twi and her friends, and I ogled Dash and AJ, challenged Dash to a race, and snubbed Rarity. Oh this is definitely going to be interesting. I really hope Dash forgot having that race. I also hope subbing Rarity doesn't come back to haunt to me." I took stock of my body. Remembering I was human didn't make me freak out while looking at my new body, but it did make moving easier.

As I looked over my body, I spied the symbol on my flank. I remembered it was called a cutie mark. This mark represented an individual's talent and destiny. As I looked at it, I remembered I had drawn it. However, I didn't design it for this world. I made it for when I became a storm rider. "Oh now I get it," I exclaimed chuckling at the cosmic joke. I remembered that storm riders liked to challenge themselves and other in terms of speed and acrobatics and liked to soar. Well based on my previous performance, that was definitely true for me except for the racing. However if speed was my thing, I wondered if I was fast enough to pull of a sonic boom, more commonly known in Equestria as a sonic rainboom.

I pushed the cloud up very high above the ridge. On one side of the ridge laid a Ponyville. A sea of trees laid on the other side. The sun felt so close I immediately thought of Icarus from Greek mythology. I just hoped I didn't crash like him. I decided to aim for the sea of trees. If I was successful, no pony would see the rainboom even if they heard it. The sonic rainboom was a legendary move that very few pegasus had ever accomplished, and Rainbow Dash had only done it once. It would still be some time before she would learn how to do it again. The odds were against me, but it wasn't impossible. I had to at least try. Even if I failed, I wouldn't give up without a fight.

I landed on the cloud and shook my limbs. What I was about to attempt was insane for a novice flyer. It was crazy even for an advance flyer, but it was going to be a lot of fun. I took a few deep breaths to center myself and contain the excitement building inside of me. I coiled my legs and leaped off the cloud. I flapped my wing to gain a little more altitude before hurtling myself toward the ground. I tucked my legs close to my body to reduce resistance. I also kept my wings close, only extending them enough to keep me on target.

The ground was coming up fast. The air in front of me began to compress. I made a few quick flaps to increase me speed. Through the whipping winds, my horn peaked through my mane. Green energy crackled around it. As I passed the ridge line, instinct took over. I needed one more really good flap to push through. Struggling against the G-forces, I pulled my wings forward and flapped as hard as I could. With that flap, I broke through the sound barrier causing a massive boom. A rainbow colored ring emanated from the blast.

An actual rainbow trailed behind me after I broke through, and my speed increased even more. I managed to fan my wings and pulled out of the dive just above the tree line. I zipped by narrowly dodging a few extra tall trees. I screamed with joy. I was enjoying every moment. I went into a corkscrew and looked back to see the twist in the rainbow.

It was then that I noticed my entire body was engulfed in green flames. I angled myself up and flew into a cloud bank. I used the upward momentum to slow me down. I broke through the cloud and landed back on it. The flames were mostly out. I blew out a couple stray flames on each wing. I then licked my hoof and put out the last flame in my mane. I inspected my body, but I wasn't even singed. The flames had not hurt me. Although, the fact I was on fire did explain why I still had a cutie mark with flames. I looked down below the clouds at the fading rainbow. Even if no pony saw the ring from rainboom, the sound of the explosion that went with it along with a rainbow bending up might draw more attention than I wanted. Using the clouds, I snuck back to town.

I gave a sigh of relief when I finally made it back inside the library. My little stunt didn't seem to raise any alarms, but it was probably better if I didn't do that that again anytime soon. It was a lot of fun, but it would draw way more attention than I wanted. I mulled over my next move.

The letter said Twilight would be arriving in a few days. I didn't know how much time I had before she arrived. The letter seemed like it should have been read before I got on the train or during the train ride. There was no telling when it was written. However, the fact that she wasn't here told me the story I knew had not started yet. As I thought about it, I couldn't remember what was supposed to happen. Now seemed like a good time to check out the book in my suitcase. My stomach rumbled to suggest a different course of action. I built up an appetite doing all that flying. I retrieved the saddle bag from the suitcase along with a few more coins. I secured the saddle bag to me and ran a hoof through my mane to make sure the horn was hidden before heading out the door again.

I wandered around town until I found the market. Ponies had a variety of stands set up. Most were run by ponies without horns or wings, which were more commonly referred to as earth ponies. The name always seemed a little redundant to me. Most of the stalls also sold fruits and vegetables. I spied an apple stand among the stalls and headed straight for it. My mouth watered at the sight of all the juicy apples. Most of the apples were a crimson red. My concentration was broken when a feminine voice greeted me,

"Well howdy there." I turned to see the orange mare I had been staring at, Apple Jack. I really hoped she hadn't seen me. "What can I do for ya?" Her southern country accent was thick. My stomach rumbled to answer her question. "Sounds like ya came to the right place. These here apples came from the Apple Family farm right here in Ponyville. Bucked em' myself tis mornin', so there nice and fresh."

"Sounds great," I replied trying not to drool over the apples. I was doing my best to control myself with the apples and Apple Jack. She may have been a pony, but then again so was I at the moment. I chalked up my attraction to my new alicorn body and my taste in women. "How much?"

"Well we got a lot today. I can give ya half a dozen for three bits." I checked the number of coins I brought.

"Okay. Give me two dozen," I answered. She looked at me a little surprised.

"Wow. That's sum appetite. You fixin' to sharin' all of those."

Nah, they're all for me. I've got a pretty big appetite."

"I'll say. Don't reckon I've seen you around these parts."

"You could say I just moved here."

"Well welcome to Ponyville. Name's Apple Jack. What's yours?" She asked extending a hoof. I shook her hoof and replied,

"Just call me Storm Rider, or Rider for short."

Well it's mighty nice meetin' ya," she said filling my saddle bag with apples. "That'll be…"

"Twelve bits," I finished for her. "Sorry. Math is my specialty," looking back at my cutie mark I added, "among other things." I retrieved the coins and paid her. As I started to walk away she called out to me,

"You gave me fourteen bits!"

"I know," I called back. "Keep the change." I continued on without looking back again. On my way back, my path was blocked by a yellow pegasus. Her long pink mane was barely off the ground as she knelt forward while walking backwards. She had a voice like silk as she guided a mother duck and her ducklings. She was so focused on the ducks she didn't even notice me, which was fine with me. I moved around the procession and headed back to the library. As I opened the door, I began muttering to myself,

"first Dash then Rarity, AJ and now Fluttershy. I've seen everyone except, PINKIE!" I shouted in surprise. Upon closing the door, I had turned to have a pink earth pony inches from my face. Her pink mane was very poofy and a darker shade than her coat. A big grin was plastered on her face. Her light blue eyes sparkled with large volumes of hyperactive energy dwelling within her.

"HELLO!" She greeted back at the same volume as I had shouted. She lowered her voice back down and said, "That's so amazing that you knew my name even though we've never met before. I should know, because I know everypony in town. But I don't know who you are, so you must new in town. If you're new in town, then you might not have any friends yet. You could be my friend, because I'm friends with everypony in town. But you already mentioned a few pony names, so you might have already made a few friends even though you've only been here a few days. But then again, you knew my name, and we hadn't met yet." She gasped loudly. "Are you psychic? That's so cool. I have a Pinkie sense, but it's only good for vague random events. I've never met a real psychic before. How did you become a psychic? Were you born with it or did you learn it or was it a tragic accident that altered your mind, and while it gave you your power threatens to drive you insane? So how'd you do it? How'd you do it?" She spoke at a speed that most would only catch every fifth word. Due to my own hyperactive nature, I caught the whole sepal.

"Actually I'm empathetic, not psychic," I corrected.

"You don't look pathetic to me. You really look pretty cute for a stallion and a pegasus. Although most ponies don't see themselves that way, they need some other pony to cheer them up. That's where I come in. I like to put a smile on every pony's face."

Right, but I said empathetic, not pathetic," I corrected.

"Ooh, what's that?"

"It means I can feel the emotions of others around me. I also just got lucky with the name. You surprised me, and you are covered head to hoof in pink. I did just meet you so there is no way I could have known your name." It was only a partial lie. I knew her alright. However it would cause too much trouble if my reason for knowing got out.

"I guess you're right. I did surprise you and I am mostly pink. I guess that's why my parents named me Pinkamena Diana Pie, but my friends call me Pinkie Pie. Do you want to be friends? Then you can call me Pinkie Pie too or just Pinkie." I fought back my laughter as I replied,

"Sure you can call me Storm Rider or just Rider." There was no sense in using my real name. I doubted anyone in this world had any name similar. Plus the letter did say I was an alicorn named Storm Rider.

"Okay Just Rider. Do you want to go have some fun?" The rumble of my stomach answered her question.

"Right now I need to eat and get started on some studies. Why don't you go home and make a list of fun things to do? This studying will take a couple of days. But when I'm done, we can do everything on that list."

Okey-dokey-lokey," she spouted before running off. I had only taken a couple of steps before she came out of the bookcase next to me. "So what kind of things should we put on the fun list?"

"I don't know: sky diving, swimming, baking, or rock climbing for example. Just put on there anything you think would be fun to try. Go crazy," I answered her. I wondered if my last words were a good idea.

"Will do," she saluted before running off again.

"I've got to be really careful with that one around. That pony could appear out of nowhere, quite literally in some cases. I ventured back down to my subterranean room. Setting my saddle bag full of apples aside, I used an ice spell on it to keep the apples fresh. I moved the suitcase and laid down on the bed myself. Using my magic, I pulled the book from the suitcase and brought an apple to me. I began munching on the apple as I started reading the most important book I would ever read.


	3. Chapter 3

The Equestrian Tales

Chapter 3

Episode 1.6: The Nightmare Begins

A great noise awoke me from my slumber. I rubbed the sleep from eyes. I noticed I had hooves instead of hands. My confusion mounted as I didn't recognize my surroundings. It took a moment for my memories to catch up with me. I had fallen asleep reading the book that was in my suitcase. Being underground, it was kind of hard to tell what time it was.

The book had been very interesting. Unlike all of the rest of the books, I couldn't speed read it. I still wasn't sure how I understood the equestrian languages. Most books were in English, but even the ones that weren't I still understood them. This book also seemed to be getting longer. I knew I had read a lot, but it seemed like I had barely made a dent in it. I understood now why Celestia asked me not to show it to anyone else. As I read the book, I recognized it as the story that I knew would occur in this world. However the book didn't mention me. As I read the book, my memory began to return to me of the story, but I only got back what I read.

I needed a place to hide the book while I wasn't reading it. I used a search spell to look for a hiding spot. I found one behind the bookcase next to my bed. I used my magic to remove the books and looked behind them. I found no markings to indicate there was a hidden panel. Pointing my horn at the shelves, I said,

"Alohamora." A beam of green light came from my horn and struck the shelves. The whole shelf dropped down quick to reveal the hiding space. I jerked my head back in surprise. I made a mental note to be clear of the shelf when it opened and closed. I made another note that I didn't need to remove the books to open it. Within the large hiding spot, I found a stand for a book and a sword. I found it a little strange to have such a hiding space. An empty book stand was one thing, but an empty sword stand was even stranger. I removed the sword form my suitcase and placed both the book and the sword on their stands. They fit perfectly almost like they were made for them. I made another mental note to ask Celestia about this library. I thought for a moment on how to close it before saying, "close sesame." The shelf shot back up. I replaced the books and ran a hoof in my mane to hide my horn. I stuffed an apple in my mouth before heading upstairs.

As I reached the first floor, I found most of the town in the tree having a party. I arrived just in time to see a purple unicorn's face turn beet red. Her purple eyes watered as she nearly breathed fire. Her purple mane had two different streaks of pink near the center which whipped behind her as she ran upstairs to the loft.

"Hot sauce," a little purple dragon read holding a bottle as I approached. He had no wings and green round spines running down the length of his body. Pinkie Pie tipped the bottle over a cupcake drenching it in a red sauce. She gobbled the cupcake in one bite like it was nothing. I too poured a little on a cupcake and ate it. I recognized the burning sensations and the level it was. It was nothing to me, because I was used to extremely spicy food. However, this level would make most miserable. I whispered to the little dragon,

"Why don't you grab a glass of milk and a glass of ginger ale and follow me upstairs?"

"Why?" The little dragon questioned.

"Let me put it this way," I said in a calm voice. I then commanded in a stern voice, "Your friend needs a glass of milk and a glass of ginger ale, stat!" The little dragon rushed off almost in a panic. I began to ascend the steps as the little dragon caught up to me carrying the glasses. As we opened the door to the loft, we found the poor unicorn running around with tears in her eyes.

"Twilight," the little dragon cried in concern.

"Better leave this to me," I told him.

"But…," the baby dragon tried to protest. I managed to get him to set the glasses down and shooed him out with my head. For a dragon, he was more than a head shorter than me, so I easily butted him out the door. I shut the door behind him and then turned to the problem at hand. After a moment of thought, I charged my horn and sent a wave of green energy. The poor unicorn was frozen in place.

"Moving around like that is only going to make it worse," I told her walking up.

"I can't take it. It won't stop burning," she cried.

"Yeah, that doesn't surprise me," I commented releasing her.

"I think I'm going to be sick," she miserably said. Her face almost literally turned green. She tried to hold back the coming mess.

"Hold it," I commanded grabbing an enclosed trash can with my magic. I placed it in front of her and then instructed, "Okay, let her rip." Twilight plunged her head in to the bin and let loose the vile liquid. "That's it. Let it all out," I encouraged her while patting her back. She pulled her head from the bin still a little green. "All out?" She weakly nodded. I summoned a glass of water. Twilight scrambled to grab the glass. "Don't drink it."

"But I want the burning to stop," Twilight protested.

"Trust me. Water would only make it worse. Just use it to rinse your mouth out," I instructed. She reluctantly did as I said. After she spit in the bin, I used a spell to clean the bin with a momentary look of disgust. I then brought over the glass of milk with my magic. "Drink this instead."

"What is it?"

"It's milk. Now take a little in your mouth and hold it," I instructed. Twilight sipped a little of the milk. "Now swallow it slowly." She let the cool liquid slide down her throat. "Once more," I told her. She repeated the process. "Now finish it off." She gulped down the rest and plopped down with a sigh of relief. "Better?"

"The burn is gone, but my head really hurts," she whined covering her eyes with her hooves.

"Yeah that's normal," I commented placing my horn near her head. A small emerald light emitted from the tip of my horn for a second. Luckily I found a book of simple healing spells in my studying. As the light faded, Twilight's whole body seemed to relax. I picked her up with my magic and set her in the bed positioned above the bookcases next to the window. I proceeded up the stairs with the glass of ginger ale in tow. "Here, this will help settle your stomach," I said setting the glass on the stand next to the bed.

"Thanks, but how did you know that would work?"

"Chemistry, anatomy, and herbology 101," I answered.

"What do you mean?"

"What happens when you mix different acids together?"

"It increases the corrosive nature of the acids."

"You had your nose so far in the air you didn't notice you drank hot sauce."

"So what does mixing acids have to do with it?"

"Hot sauce is an edible acid, ergo why your mouth was burning. It then mixed with the acid your body naturally makes in your stomach. Running around was just mixing them together even more."

"Oh," she said realizing her mistake.

"Does water help when added to mixed acids?"

"No, it doesn't. Sometimes it makes it worse?"

"Correct," I complemented. "So how do you neutralize an acid?" I asked still leading her to think.

"You mix is with a base."

"Correct," I said. "Milk is an edible base."

"What about this?" She asked holding up the cup of ginger ale.

"That's ginger ale. It's made with ginger root which is known for aiding in settling stomachs."

"But how did you know about the headache?"

"I eat a lot of spicy food. I know the side effects pretty well. The hot sauce you drank would cause a nose drip when put on something. Oh, you may want this," I said bringing a tissue box and a trash can near her.

"Thanks," Twilight said blowing her nose using her magic.

"You drank that and ran around, so you were most likely to hit level three."

"How many levels are there?"

"Four," I answered. "Level four, you can't breathe."

"Why would anypony make or eat that?"

"Tolerance varies from pony to pony. What might be level four to one pony would be level one to another. I had some and it was nothing to me. In fact, I want some more," I added my mouth starting to water a little.

"Wow, you're a really smart unicorn."

"Actually, that's what I needed to talk to you about, Twilight Sparkle," I said locking the door with my magic. "I'm not a unicorn. I'm an alicorn," I said unfolding my wings.

"Your highness," she said scrambling to get in a kneeling position.

"Relax," I commanded using my magic to force her to lay back down. "First off, moving around will only make things worse in your stomach, you need to rest until it passes out of your stomach. Secondly, I'm not royalty. I'm just an alicorn. The name is Storm Rider by the way. Third, everypony thinks I'm just a pegasus. I'd like to keep it that way."

"But why tell me? Wait. How did you know my name?"

"I got a letter letting me know a Twilight Sparkle with a baby dragon named Spike was coming. Dragons with ponies are extremely rare, so I'm betting that was Spike. He also called you Twilight."

"Okay, but why tell me your secret?"

"The letter said you would be staying here. I'm staying here too."

"What?" She interjected popping up. "Is this your bed?"

"Relax," I said forcing her back down. "My bedroom is in the roots. You and Spike can use this room if you like."

"Okay thanks," she said relaxing.

"The letter didn't say how longing you would be staying, but this secret is kind of hard to hide from ponies when you live with them."

"That's nice, but I'm leaving here as soon as possible. Ponies around here are crazy."

"Maybe," I said as I unlocked the door. "Folks around here are really nice. You could make a lot of friends if you gave them a chance." I ran a hoof through my mane to hide my horn. I let my words sink in as I left. I found the little dragon on the other side of the door. I used my head to flip him onto my back when he tried to enter. I folded my wings around him to cage him on my back.

"What are you doing? I have to get to Twilight."

"Your friend will be fine," I said closing the door, "but she needs to rest right now." I continued down the stairs with the little dragon on my back despite his protest. As I reached the lower level, five ponies met me at the bottom steps.

"Everything okay?" Applejack asked with concern in voice.

"She'll be fine," I assured her. "She just wasn't used to food that spicy."

"I don't blame her," Rainbow Dash chimed in. "I hate spicy food. So is she coming back down?"

"Probably not," I said. "She doesn't strike me as a very social pony." I wondered if I was talking about her or myself.

"Well that's no good," a white mare pouted. It was the same mare I had snubbed who was better known as Rarity. "How can you have a welcome to Ponyville party without the guest of honor?" The party had all but died.

"What are you talking about? Tomorrow is the Summer Sun Celebration. We need to party all night long. Yo DJ, crank that beat." Pinkie Pie seemed to simply disappear from the base of the stairs and reappear behind the music station. As the music began to play, the party seemed to reignite. "Come on little guy. Get down with your bad self," I said as I bucked the dragon off. He landed on his feet on the table and skid to a stop. As the music filled his ears, the little guy started dancing.

I hopped off the stairs and wondered over to the snacks station. Licking my lips, I poured some hot sauce on more cupcakes. As I gobbled them down, I noticed the glass of hot sauce Twilight had poured. My eyes quickly scanned to see if anyone was looking before tossing the straw out of the cup. I made another quick scan before chugging down the whole thing. A burp welled up in me. I let it build up until it erupted from me. I couldn't help but chuckle at the large burp. Once again I was the only one laughing at it. I had always found it amazing how someone could feel so alone even in a crowd full of people. It was true when I was human, and it was still true when I was a pony. I always got lost in big groups. Even as a pony, I was still getting lost. I spent the rest of the party at the doorway leading to the roots. I might as well been a shadow on the wall. No one seemed to even see me until I bard their pass from proceeding to the roots. The look in my eyes kept them from protesting.

As the morning approached, the ponies began to file out and head to town hall. I watched as the little dragon proceeded up to the loft with a lamp shade on his head. He returned shortly following Twilight. I came along side of her as she exited the library.

"So did you have a good nap?" I asked her.

"How could anypony get any rest with all that racket, you were making, and what is up with your breath?"

"Sorry about that," I apologized. "I've been eating spicy food all night. So how are you feeling?"

"Other than the lack of sleep, I'm feeling better. Thanks for that, um…"

"It's Storm Rider. You look a little down. What's on your mind?"

"It's just something I read."

"Do tell."

"I read something that said Nightmare Moon might escape."

"You should have told Princess Celestia."

"I tried, but she told me I shouldn't worry about old mare's tales and then sent me here to check on preparations for the festival. I was hoping to do some research just in case I was right."

"So how did your research go?"

"The ponies around here are so crazy, I never got to it."

"Didn't Princess Celestia defeat Nightmare Moon and imprison her in the moon almost a thousand years ago?"

"Yes, she did. Legend says on the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars will aid in her escape."

"Well consider this. If that's true, Princess Celestia has had a thousand years to prepare. You really think she doesn't already have a plan in motion just in case?"

"Well maybe, but why did she tell me to stop worrying about old mare's tales?"

"What exactly did she tell you?"

"To stop worrying," Twilight answered. "She then sent me here to check on preparations."

"You already said that. Did she say anything else?"

"She said I should try and make some friends."

"So how many have you made?"

"I haven't. What would be the point?"

"Friendship can be a powerful thing. United we stand, divided we fall. Besides, you strike me as the good little pupil. I find it interesting that somepony like you would disobey your teacher, even more your princess." Twilight blushed a little as we made our way into town hall. "Look at it this way. What have you got to lose?"

"I guess."

"Well, at least you've made one friend."

"Who?"

"Me," I said with a chuckle. Twilight rolled her eyes with a groan in response. We took our place on the ground floor of a tall circular room. A few pegasi flapped their wings to keep themselves aloft. Banners hung from the ceiling. A few ponies gathered on a few balconies. Little Spike sat on Twilight's back for a better view. Pinkie Pie came up to us excited.

"Isn't this exciting? Are you excited? Cause I'm excited. I've never been so excited, well except for the time I saw you walking into town and I was like," Pinkie ranted pausing to gasp like she had done earlier that day before continuing, "but I mean really who could top that?" Twilight looked a little annoyed at Pinkie's joy. I struggled not to laugh. A choir of song birds singing drew everyone's attention. It was actual birds singing in harmony directed by the yellow pegasus I had seen leading the ducks. She was one of the five who were waiting at the bottom of the stairs. Even though we hadn't met, I knew her name was Fluttershy. I was going to have to be careful until I found an opportunity to properly introduce myself to her and Rarity. A spotlight shined on a brown mane. She had a grey mane with a white collar and half-moon glasses. She addressed the congregation.

"Fillies and gentle Colts, as mayor of Ponyville, it is my great pleasure to announce the beginning of the Summer Sun Celebration," the mayor announced. The crowd of ponies cheered. "In just a few moments our town will witness the magic of the sun rise and celebrate this, the longest day of the year. And now it is my great honor to introduce to you the ruler of our land, the very pony who gives us the sun and the moon each and every day, the good, the wise, the bringer of harmony to all of Equestria, Princess Celestia." The curtains opened to an empty balcony above the mayor.

"This can't be good," Twilight said with concern in her voice. I took a deep breath and steadied myself for what I knew would come next.

"Remain calm, everypony," the mayor assured the gathering despite the worry building in her own voice. "There must be a reasonable explanation."

"Ow, ow," Pinkie Pie began jumping up and down, "I love guessing games. Is she hiding?" After checking the back, Rarity came out and announced,

"She's gone." The crowd gasped in fear.

"Ow, she's good," Pinkie Pie commented before letting out a scream. A cloud of blue mist formed on the empty balcony. A black alicorn mare emerged from the mist. She bore light purple armor and her blue mane and tail flowed with little white dots like pieces of the night sky. Her green eyes had slit pupils. On her flank was a dark purple blotch with a crescent moon on top.

"Oh, no," Twilight whispered, "Nightmare Moon." Poor Spike fainted at the sight of the imposing figure.

"Oh my beloved subjects," Nightmare Moon addressed the congregation, "it's been so long since I've seen your precious little sun loving faces."

"What did you do with our Princess?" Rainbow Dash yelled. She would have attacked if Applejack hadn't held her back, the tip of Dash's tail in her mouth. Nightmare Moon simply laughed at her.

"Why am I not royal enough for you? Don't you know who I am?"

"Ow, ow," Pinkie Pie excitedly piped in, "more guessing games. Um Hokey Smoke? How about Queen Meanie? No Black Snuddy, Black Snuddy." She would have continues if Applejack hadn't shoved a cupcake in her mouth.

"Does my crown no longer count now that I have been imprisoned for a thousand years?" Nightmare Moon continued ignoring Pinkie's interruption. "Did you not recall the legend? Did you not see the signs?"

"I did," Twilight spoke up, "and I know who you are. You're the mare in the moon, Nightmare Moon." The crowd gasped at this revelation, except for me. I continued to stand my ground. Dash also continued to struggle while Applejack held her back.

"Well, well, well," Nightmare Moon almost complimented, "Some pony who remembers me. Then you also know why I'm here."

"You're here to…to," Twilight swallowed hard unable to bring herself to finish her sentence.

"Yes, oh," Nightmare Moon said as her attention was drawn to me, "and what's this?" She descended towards me. I held my ground while other ponies slinked back a little. "What a handsome stallion, such intense eyes, strong back, and regal demeanor. I could use a stallion like you at my side," she said stroking my chin with her mane. I suppressed my emotions to keep them from showing. I held my ground and continued to meet her stare. She got close to my face and whispered, "Join me." I breathed in deep and burped in her face aiming at her eyes. She rubbed her watery eyes as she flew back to the balcony still facing me. She looked at me enraged. "Impertinent peasant," she screamed. "Thou shall pay thin impudence."

"Please, put it on my tab," I said with a confident smile. I couldn't hold the serious face anymore after that burp. Nightmare Moon composed herself before addressing the audience.

"Remember this day, little ponies, for it was your last. From this moment forth, the night will last forever." She let out an evil laugh as mist swirled above her and lightning cracked around her.

"Seize her," the mayor screamed, "only she knows where the Princess is." Three white pegasi garbed in gold armor, royal guards, took flight to take down Nightmare Moon. As they got close, Nightmare Moon shouted at them,

"Stand back you, foals." Her eyes glowed and a lightning bolt struck each guard. I turned around and flapped my wings. Secretly I used my magic to cause a whirlwind to cushion their landing. Nightmare Moon laughed as she became a stream of mist and burst out the door. Applejack finally lost her grip on Rainbow Dash who took up chase after Nightmare Moon. Twilight Sparkle scooped up Spike onto her back and ran from the hall. I followed her as she made a beeline for the library. She proceeded up to the loft and came back down without Spike. She must have put him to bed.

"Elements, elements, elements," she groaned tearing through the books. She pulled book after book to her. I had to duck to avoid being hit by a couple. She didn't even register I was there. "How can I stop Nightmare Moon without the Elements of Harmony?"

"And just what are the Elements of Harmony?" Rainbow Dash interrogated getting in Twilight's face. I was too busy dodging to notice her and the others enter the library. "And how did you know about Nightmare Moon? Huh?" Twilight slowly retreated back from Dash's questioning. "Are you a spy?" Her last question was almost cut off as Applejack pulled Dash back by her tail.

"Simmer down, Sally," Applejack told Rainbow Dash. "She an't no spy, but sure knows what's goin' on, don't you, Twilight?"

"I read all about the prediction of Nightmare Moon," Twilight began telling the small group of ponies. It was the same group that had met me at the base of the stairs earlier. "Some mysterious objects called the Elements of Harmony are the only thing that can stop her. But I don't know what they are, where to find them. I don't even know what they do." Panic and stress was evident in her voice.

"The Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide," Pinkie read aloud looking at one of the bookcases.

"How did you find that?" Twilight asked bumping Pinkie pie aside.

"It was under 'E'," Pinkie Pie almost sang bouncing about. I suppressed a chuckle.

"Oh," Twilight said a little annoyed she over looked something so small. She picked up the book with her magic and read aloud. "There are six Elements of Harmony, but only five are known: kindness, laughter, generosity, honesty, and loyalty. The sixth is a complete mystery. It is said the last known location of the five elements was in the ancient castle of the Royal Pony Sisters. It is located in what is now the EVERFREE FOREST."


	4. Chapter 4

The Equestrian Tales

Chapter 4

Episode 2.3: The Flight for Harmony

The equestrian world was just as much like the human world as it was different. Much of the plant and animal life was managed by ponies. Matter of fact, most of this world was managed by ponies. Ponies managed the weather and the turning of the seasons. Even the rise and fall of the sun and moon was manipulated by the inhabitants of this world. However, the Everfree Forest was something different. Much of the forest was uncharted. There were many dangerous creatures that dwelled within those trees. The wildlife, vegetation, and weather managed itself. While it wasn't strange to me, it was very strange to the equestrian citizens. Thus, many ponies wouldn't even go near those trees. As the seven of us approached the edge of the forest, I could almost taste the fear from the others, well, all except Pinkie Pie.

"Let's go," Pinkie cheered as she started to enter the forest.

"Not so fast," Twilight instructed. "Look. I appreciate the offer, but I really rather do this on my own."

"No can do, sugar cube," Applejack countered as the others and myself began entering the forest. "We sure an't letting any friend of ours go in that creepy place alone. We're stickin' to you like caramel on a candy apple."

"Especially if there's candy apples in there," Pinkie added in. "What? Those things are good." Twilight simply groaned and entered as well. As we proceeded through the trees, I continued to look around. I was left with a nagging feeling that something was out of place. Noticing me looking around, Pinkie Pie asked me, "What are you looking at?"

"I'm not sure," I answered her. "These trees feel almost alive."

"What's so strange about that?" Applejack asked. "All trees are alive, aren't they?"

"That's not what I mean," I said still scanning the area occasionally taking quick sniffs of the air. "It's like they're creatures instead of plants. What's more, they all give the same vibe. I could be wrong, but it's like this is whole forest is one big creature."

"I have a question," Rarity chimed in. "Who are you and why are you here?" There was a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"His name is Storm Rider," Pinkie answered before I could say anything. "He moved to Ponyville just before Twilight did. He already met Rainbow Dash when she crashed into him. He bought apples from Applejack. I'm surprised you don't know him, Rarity, since you were the second pony he talked to." I put my wing in her mouth to stop her.

"Thanks you for the introduction, Pinkie. Miss Pricy did talk to me, but we never got to names. So what was your name, yours and the yellow pegasus?"

"Her name is Rarity," Pinkie Pie said before Rarity could answer. "Her name is Fluttershy," she continued motioning toward to the yellow pegasus. "Great now we're all friends." Twilight rolled her eyes.

"I wouldn't get ahead of yourself," I said returning to my scanning. "We know each other, but friendship doesn't instantly happen. Well for most ponies it doesn't. To answer your other question, my reason is the same as the rest of you. I'm here helping a friend, whether she sees me as a friend or not."

"If you've moved to Ponyville, where are you staying?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I'm staying in the library," I answered matter of fact. I was so focused on my scanning I forgot who I was talking to.

"I thought Twilight was staying in the library," Fluttershy added in. "Is that really appropriate?"

"It's alright," Rarity answered. "He doesn't seem to be into mare." I stopped dead in my track. Looking back over my shoulder, I asked,

"Excuse me?"

"Well you certainly haven't been taking much notice of any of us." Her words trailed off as I approached her. My emerald eyes appeared to have darkened. Fear slowly crept into her voice.

"First off, assumption most of the time are wrong. So why don't we look at the facts?" Rarity slowly backed away from my threatening presence. "We are in an uncharted part of Equestria inhabited by a lot of dangerous creatures with no definitive direction of where we are going or what we are looking for." Rarity tried to continue to slink back despite putting her back to a tree. "Is now really the time to be distracted at all? Why don't we look at the real reason, the fact that I wasn't putty in your hooves? Did it ever occur to you that I have enough discipline so charm doesn't work on me? It doesn't matter if you're a foal, mare, critter, or stallion," I shuttered at the last thought before continuing, "Charm doesn't work. You're just mad because you tried to charm me and it failed."

"So do you like mares?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"As a matter of fact, I do. I just know how to control myself." Turning my attention back to Rarity, I continued, "So before your spread something around about anypony, you would do well to get your facts straights like, I don't know, ask them. Because the next time you spread something without all the facts, I guarantee you won't like what I do." I snorted at her and walked back to the front of the procession. "Oh and for the record, looks will only get you so far with some stallions. You all would do well to remember that." We continued forward in silence. The girls' fear was building as we proceeded. It was hard to tell if they were afraid of the forest or me. Twilight was the first to break the silence.

"So none of you have been in here before?" Twilight asked with fear still in her voice.

"Heaven's no," Rarity answered. "Just look at it. It's dreadful." The fear was definite in her voice.

"And it an't natural," Applejack added in. "Don't know is it's like what Storm Rider said, but folks say it don't work the same as Equestia."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Twilight asked, her fear growing.

"No pony knows," Dash said in a spooky voice. "You know why?"

"Rainbow, quit it," Applejack said. I just rolled my eyes and sniffed the air again. The scent of dark energy accosted my nose. I took several sniffs trying to figure out where it was coming from. Meanwhile Dash stacked toward her friends. Ignoring Applejack, she continued,

"Cause every pony whose ever come in has never come out." It was then I noticed the dark energy was beneath me. My memory clicked to what was happening.

"Everypony move!" I yelled, but my cry was too late as the ground gave way beneath us. Fluttershy and Dash immediately took to the air. Due to my inexperience flying, I slid with the others backwards. I pushed off from the cliff side as Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash moved in to help. I looked back up to see debris following us down. I pounced on a large rock from the side that was aimed at Rarity. Using my momentum, the boulder was deflected off course as I pounced on a second one aimed at Applejack. Rainbow Dash picked up Pinkie Pie as a small boulder flew at them. I flapped my wings hard to cause a gust of wind. The gust deflected the rock from hitting them. Fluttershy grabbed Rarity by the tail as another rock came down toward them. I flapped my wings to cause another gust. The gust knocked the rock off course. Applejack managed to grab a small root by her teeth. Meanwhile Twilight slid down to a sheer cliff drop off. She dangled on the edge with the threat of falling to her death.

"Hold on," Applejack called letting go of the root. "I'm a comin'," she assured gently sliding to Twilight to keep her from falling. The rocks continued to rain down. I landed behind AJ and began beating my wings. I was so glad I found a book on wind spells. I had learned I could weave spells together. Using my wings, I could amplify the wind I created by using multiple small spells. The small amounts of magic made it easy to use them without exposing my horn. I used the wind to create a shield to deflect the incoming rock slide.

"Applejack, what do I do?" Twilight pleaded.

"Storm, can ya get her?" Applejack asked me over her shoulder.

"There's too much coming down. If I move to save one, the rocks will get the other," I answered struggling under the strain to not only maintain my rhythm, but the spells as well. Hiding magic while trying to use it was becoming increasingly taxing. Applejack paused before saying,

"Twilight, let go."

"Are you crazy?" Twilight asked.

"No I an't. I promise you'll be safe."

"That's not true," Twilight accused with fear growing in her voice.

"Now listen here. What I'm sayin' to you is the honest truth. Let go and you'll be safe."

"If you're going to do something, I suggest you do it," I added between grunts. "I can't keep this up for much longer." I heard Twilight scream as she let go. Her screams didn't last long. Thankfully I already knew they stopped because her friends had caught her. I gave one more powerful blast before scooping up Applejack. Her hat flew off, and I managed to grab it with my teeth as we narrowly missed the river of falling rocks. I heavily sighed with relief as I lowered us to join the others who were waiting for us, and set Applejack down.

"Thanks a lot, Storm," Applejack thanked as I placed her hat back on her head.

"No big, and call me Rider," I said wiping the sweat from my brow and rolling my wings. I then called out, "Head count. Everypony here? Anypony hurt?" All six mumbled they were okay. "Good. Let's keep moving," I announced continuing on.

"Wait," Rarity called out. "You protected me. Why?" I stopped to answer over my shoulder.

"It was the right thing to do." We continued forward. Of course Rainbow Dash couldn't help bragging about her saves to Twilight.

"And once Pinkie and Rarity were safe, whoosh, me and Fluttershy hooked the loop around and, wham, caught you right in the nic of time."

"Yes, Rainbow, I was there, and I'm grateful. However, I also saw Storm Rider protecting all of us from the falling rocks."

"Yeah those were some pretty awesome moves," Dash admitted. "Why didn't you do anything against Nightmare Moon?"

"I did," I answered matter of fact.

"Excuse me, Darling," Rarity interjected, "but all you did was burp in her face."

"Exactly."

"How the hay in burpin' doin' somethin'?" Applejack asked.

"Because she was using shadow magic," I answered. The others looked at me confused. "Shadow magic is a form of dark magic," I explained. "Casters using shadow magic are very difficult to deal with. Physical attacks are all but useless. The only way a physical attack will work if one pony has their undivided attention. A second pony can then hit them from behind, but the caster can't see it coming. Twi can vouch that I had pepper breath. When I burped, I, might as well, squirted pepper juice in her face. I also had her full attention."

"Sounds like you really are an egghead," Rainbow Dash laughed.

"And your point is?"

"So ya set up for somepony ta hit her," Applejack added continuing my train of thought. "If I had let Dash go, we could've got her."

"That might have worked, if Dash did it quietly. As far as I've seen of her, Dash doesn't do quiet."

"And because nopony knew what you were doing, you're acts were in vain," Rarity finished.

"True, but I had to try something," I added. I sniffed the air and stopped dead in my tracks.

"What's wrong?" Twilight asked.

"Trouble," I answered, the scent of dark energy invading my nostrils. A menacing figure barded our pass. It looked like a lion yet had the ears and wings of a bat. It also had the tail of a scorpion.

"A manticore," Twilight announced. "We have to get pass him." The manticore lunged forward and swiped with its right front paw. I pulled Rarity back to help her duck under the swipe. I countered by lunging and bringing my hind legs around to kick the beast in the jaw. I then felt fear and pain, but something felt off.

"Ha," Rarity cheered, "take that you ruffian." The manticore roared at her instead of me. The roar messed up Rarity's mane. "My hair," Rarity complained before running back. The manticore gave chase after her. It ignored me as if the insult hurt worse than my kick. Applejack jumped on its back and rode it like a bucking bronco.

"Yeeha," Applejack screamed, "get along, little doggie." The manticore's pain ebbed and flowed with each buck. It was hurt. The manticore finally bucked Applejack off. As she flew through the air, Applejack casually said to Rainbow Dash, "All yours, partner."

"I'm on it," Rainbow Dash saluted before circling the manticore at high speed. It was like a rainbow colored tornado surrounded the manticore. The manticore swatted Dash away with its scorpion tail.

"Rainbow," Twilight cried. Dash landed near Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie. She got up and joined them as the five prepared to charge the manticore who stood its ground snorting at them. We were getting nowhere. We were lucky the manticore hadn't used its stinger yet. I had to stop it before someone got seriously hurt. As the others charged forward, I landed between them and the manticore and flapped my wings at my friends. I caused a small gust to halt them. At the same time, Fluttershy finally found her voice. Her small cries had gone unnoticed.

"Wait!" Fluttershy screamed. She was hesitant for a moment when she noticed me protecting the manticore. I folded a wing to let her pass before unfolding my wing to block the others.

"Rider, what are you doing?" Twilight asked.

"Let her handle this," I said continuing to stand my ground. The others cringed for a second before I heard Fluttershy say,

"Shss, it's okay." The others' expression changed to one of confusion. "Oh you poor, poor little baby," she coed.

"Little?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Now this might hurt for just a second," Fluttershy comforted. The manticore roared.

"Fluttershy!" The other girls cried. As the roared died, I heard the manticore begin to purr. I folded my wings and turned around to see the manticore happily licking Fluttershy. The manticore's pain and fear were gone. I trotted pass the manticore. As I passed, I noticed a large thorn. It seemed out of place, and I simply kicked it aside.

"Ah you're just a little old baby kitty, aren't you," Fluttershy babied. "Yes you are. Yes you are." The others passed by as Fluttershy pacified the big cat. Twilight waited for Fluttershy. They exchanged kind words before rejoining us.

We continued forward on our trek. The mood had surprisingly lightened after our encounter with the manticore. As we marched on, Rarity let out a groan.

"My eyes need a rest from all this icky muck," she complained. No sooner did she complain the moon hid itself under a thick canopy. "Well I didn't mean that literally."

"That ancient ruin could be right in front of our faces, and we wouldn't even know it," Twilight complained. The others began to argue. I was used to moving in almost total darkness. When my eyes were no use, I wouldn't use them and stretched out my other senses. When I did, something felt off. My concentration was broken when Applejack announced,

"Oh wait. I think I stepped in somethin'." All of a sudden, Fluttershy screamed. "It's just mud," Applejack said before she noticed the scary creature in front of her. At that moment, she too yelled. It became apparent to all; we were surrounded by menacing creatures. The girls started screaming while backing toward me. I rubbed my ears from the pain of the high pitch screams. As far as scary, I wasn't impressed. I'd seen much worse, especially since I enjoyed going into haunted houses. Over the deafening screams, Pinkie's giggles could be heard. Her laughter stopped the screams. Pinkie Pie even started making faces at one of the creatures. I struggled not to laugh.

"Pinkie," Twilight yelled, "What are you doing? Run!"

"Oh, girls, don't you see," Pinkie started singing. "When I was a little filly and the sun was going down."

"Tell me she's not," Twilight unbelievingly said.

"The darkness and the shadows, they would always make me frown." Pinkie kept singing.

"She is," Rarity answered.

"I'd hide under my pillow from what I thought I saw," Pinkie sang as she bounced about. I struggled hard not to bust out laughing. "But Granny Pie said that wasn't the way to deal with fears at all."

"Then what is?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"She said, Pinkie, you got to stand up tall. Learn to face our fears. You'll see that they can't hurt you. Just laugh to make them disappear, Ha, Ha, Ha." Pinkie simple laugh turned the menacing creatures into a normal tree. This caused the others to gasp. I was really fighting back the giggles. "So, giggle at the ghosty. Guffaw at the grossly. Crack up at the creepy. Whoop it up with the weepy. Chortle at the kooky. Snortle at the spooky." With each phrase, all of us started laughing. As our laughter grew, the scary faces started to disappear. "And tell that big dumb scary face to take hike and leave you alone and if he thinks he can scare you then he's got another thing coming and the very idea of such a thing just makes you wanna…," Pinkie laughed for a minute before continuing, "Laugh!" All the scary faces disappeared, and the forest even seemed brighter.

As an empathy, I always enjoyed being around positive emotions. It always seemed to give me even more energy. Large amounts of negative emotions often made me nauseous. As we started forward, I was surprised that I was feeling a little nauseous, but it was coming from behind us. I fell silent and slowly back pedaled. The girls were so busy laughing; none of them seemed to notice I had slipped away. I always marveled at how easy it was to leave a group without anyone noticing.

As the girls moved out of sight, the darkness seemed to be moving forward even if I stood still. My discomfort kept growing with the darkness. I flapped my wings to cause a gust. The darkness was actually pushed back. From the dark shadows sprouted multiple little red eyes. However, their eyes weren't focused on me but on something behind me. I could almost taste their bloodlust. In a stern voice I told the creatures,

"If you want those mares, you're going to have to go through me." The good news was I got all of their attention. The bad news was I got all of their attention. Their bloodlust was now directed at me. With no one else around, it was pointless to keep hiding my horn. Tossing my head left and right, my horn poked through my spiky hair. "I hope this works," I muttered to myself. I concentrated on the sword Princess Celestia had given me. I let the emerald energy build around my horn. I cast the teleportation spell, and the sword in its scabbard appeared in front of me in a flash of green light. I unsheathed the blade and held it ready in front of me by magic while I let the scabbard fall to my side. I unfurled my wings and stood ready for the oncoming attack. "Alright, uglies, show me what you got," I provoked.

The shadow creatures lunged at me. I took to the air swiping the sword with my magic at the place I was just standing. The sword sliced through two creatures which dissipated. Grabbing the hilt with me front hoof, I spun around slashing one behind me and two above me causing all three to dissipate. Since these were creatures of shadows, I sent out four small light spells from my horn at once. The four beams of green light struck the wall of shadows. Four more creatures dissipated. With each one seemly vanquished, my nausea lessened.

The creatures renewed their attack. I side rolled over the attack spinning the sword around me with magic cutting down three more. I flapped my wings causing another gust. The gust pushed the creatures back to give me a hole. I dove through the hole in their ranks using my magic to sweep the blade left and right as I passed to the back of the pack. I rose above the canopy. Grabbing the sword with my right hoof, I spun back around slicing through another. I charged my horn and sent out a barrage of small light spells at the incoming attackers. I then dove at the collecting creatures. Going into a barrel roll, I held the sword at an angle shredding my way through their ranks. I skidded to a stop on the other side on three hooves still holding the sword in my right. Holding the sword aloft with my magic, I stood back on all four and waited for the next wave.

The creatures' ranks had been thinned, but their hatred towards me had only deepened. Their collective hatred of me allowed them to merge together. I watched as they mashed together growing larger and reaching above the canopy. Its body was so dense it was almost an inky black and a solid mass.

"Oh, you guys just made this so much easier," I told the lumbering creature. I charged forward holding my sword with my magic. The large shadow tried to smash me. I had to dodge both fist as I ran for the creature's legs. I slashed at both legs as I past beneath it. The creature wailed in pain. I shot straight up carving my sword through its back. The creature spun around back fisting me making me lose my grip on the sword. Through the pain I concentrated and managed to teleport myself to keep from becoming a projectile. I charged my horn and shot a large light spell made up of multiple small light spells. The creature wailed again as its arm was blasted off. I used the creature's moment of pain to look for my sword. Before I could spot it, the creature reared up its other arm. I prayed it would work as I tried to teleport my sword to me. The sword appeared before me in a flash of green light. I grasped the sword and split the fist in two. The creature reeled back in pain. I rose up and dove straight down at the creature's head my sword leading the charge. My sword pierced the creature splitting it in two as my sword sunk into the ground. I was panting as the two halves dissolved away.

I stretched my sense searching for any more. I spied one lingering shadow creature.

"Oh no, you don't." I yelled whipping my head around using my magic to throw my sword at the creature. My sword sailed through the air. The creature was impaled on a tree before dissipating as well. I walked over to the sword shifting it back and forth before pulling it free. The nausea was gone. I searched for the scabbard with a search spell before sheathing the blade and teleporting the sword back to the library.

My legs wobbled from exhaustion. I made a mental note to practice a little with magic. I also made a note to ask Princess Celestia about that sword. I was a little surprised it worked on those creatures. I proceeded on the path with shaky steps. I was grateful when I came across a stream. I immediately began gulping down water. As the water slid down my throat, I felt my strength renewed. The one advantage to being hyperactive was the short recovery time. I still going to be really sore the next day, but I could press on.

I then noticed a sea serpent splashing in the water and enjoying his reflection. Oddly enough, my first thought was wondering if I was up river of it. It had purple scales and quaff light brown hair with a long moustache. As I looked at him, I noticed that one side of his moustache was purple with a familiar curl. I ran a hoof through my mane before flying over to the serpent.

"Uh, pardon me," I called to the serpent.

"Yes?"

"You didn't happen to see six mares pass through here."

"Oh why yes, I did. They were such nice ponies."

"You wouldn't happen to know where they went."

"Oh yes. They took that path right there," the serpent said pointing to a path on the opposite side of the stream from where I had come.

"Thanks. Um, nice moustache," I added before heading down the path.

"Oh why thank you. Such nice ponies," the serpent called after. I flew down the path until I found five of them waiting by a cliff. I noticed Rarity's tail was much shorter. I landed and trotted up to the others. I arrived in time for Rainbow Dash to emerge from the fog and pose for her friends. As the fog cleared, a rope bridge appeared leading across a chasm to the ruins of a castle. The others cheered for their pegasus friend.

"See, I'd never leave my friend hanging," Rainbow Dash replied. She then noticed me. "Hey, Rider, where'd you go?"

"What do you mean?" I asked keeping my cool.

"You were there and then you weren't."

"Sorry. I have a bad habit of doing that."

"How does a pegasus just disappear?" Applejack asked.

"It's really not that hard. Anypony can do it."

"Are you sure you just didn't get scared when you saw that sea serpent?" Dash asked.

"Actually my first thought was wondering if I was upriver of him," I answered.

"Sure it was," she said with a small laugh. As we entered we immediately found a stone pedestal with smaller pedestals branching off holding up five stone orbs with a single jewel impression in each.

"Wow," Twilight said in awe.

"Come on, Twilight," Applejack encouraged. "Isn't this what you been waiting for?"

"The Elements of Harmony, we found them," Twilight commented still in awe. Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and I removed the five orbs from the pedestals and placed the large orbs next to Twilight on the ground.

"Careful, careful," Twilight instructed.

"One, two, three, four," Pinkie Pie counted. "There's only five."

"Where's the sixth?" Dash asked.

"The book said, 'when the five are present, a spark will cause the sixth element to be revealed,'" Twilight answered.

"What in the hay is that supposed to mean?" Applejack asked a little annoyed.

"I'm not sure, but I have an idea," Twilight said with confidence. "Stand back. I don't know what will happen."

"Come on now, y'all," Applejack instructed the rest of us. "She needs to concentrate." We filed back out the door. As we waited, we heard Twilight cry out.

"Twilight," the girls cried in unison. We looked back to see the elements caught in a purple tornado. I rushed forward to help.

"The elements," Twilight said with concern as she jumped into the vortex. The swirl quickly shrank down. I dove for the vortex myself only to have it vanish before I could get to it. I was moving so fast I crashed into the pedestal. Panic grew within the girls. I got up with a groan. I was definitely going to be in a lot of pain the next day. The girls were in a panic frantically searching the room for Twilight.

"Twilight, where are you?" Applejack asked with great concern.

"Look," Rarity exclaimed pointing out the window. Another section of the castle had light pouring out of every crack.

"Come on," Applejack instructed. I shook the stupor out of me and lead the charge. As we raced to the other section of the castle, I almost tripped on my own four feet. I had to switch to flying before I fell. We heard Nightmare Moon laughing up ahead of us. The others called out to Twilight to let her know we were coming.

"You think you can destroy the Elements of Harmony just like that," I heard Twilight say as we entered. I landed and placed myself between Twilight and Nightmare Moon as Twilight continued, "Well you're wrong, because the spirits of the Elements of Harmony are right here." Shards of what was left of the Elements of Harmony began to glow and lift off the ground. "Applejack, who reassured me when I was in doubt, represents the spirit of honesty." A few of the shards began circling Applejack. "Fluttershy, who tamed the manticore with her compassion, represents the spirit of kindness." Shards began circling Fluttershy despite her trying to avoid them. "Pinkie Pie, who banished fear by giggling in the face of danger, represents the spirit of laughter." Pinkie Pie had shards circling her as well. "Rarity, who calmed a sorrowful serpent with a meaningful gift, represents the spirit of generosity." Shards swirled around Rarity as well. "And Rainbow Dash, who could not abandon her friends for her own heart's desire, represents the spirit of loyalty." Finally Rainbow Dash had shards around her as well. "The spirits of these five ponies got us through every challenge you threw at us."

"You still don't have the sixth element," Nightmare Moon countered with concern growing in her voice. "The spark didn't work."

"But it did," Twilight corrected, "a different kind of spark. I felt it the very moment I realized how happy I was to hear you, to see you, how much I cared about you," she told her friends, "all of you," she added over her shoulder at me. "The spark ignited inside me when I realized you all are my friends." A sixth orbed appeared and floated down to rest above Twilight's head. "You see, Nightmare Moon, when these elements are ignited by the …spark that resides in the heart of us all, it creates the sixth element, the element of magic." A bright light emitted from the girls.

"No," Nightmare Moon cried. "I won't be beaten again." Nightmare Moon began charging her horn. Since my spells were smaller, it was easy to set them off before she could. I flapped my wings and blasted a gust of wind at her face. The wind broke her concentration. "Insolate foal, you think you can defeat me?"

"I don't have to beat you, Luna," I answered Nightmare Moon. "I just have to stall you." A rainbow shot out from behind me and struck at Nightmare Moon's hooves.

"No," Nightmare Moon cried as she was encased in a rainbow colored vortex. I covered my eyes as the room was bathed in a bright white light. As the light faded, I found the girls lying on the ground each with a gold necklace around their neck and a tiara on Twilight's head.

"Perfect," I simply said.

"My head," Dash groaned.

"Everypony okay," Applejack asked.

"Oh thank goodness," Rarity exclaimed. I looked back to see Rarity's tail had grown back.

"Why, Rarity, it's so lovely," Fluttershy complemented.

"I know. I'll never part with it again," Rarity said fawning over her tail.

"No, your necklace," she corrected. "It looks just like your cutie mark."

"So do yours," Rarity pointed out.

"Look at mine. Look at mine," Pinkie Pie exclaimed bouncing about.

"Ah, yeah," Rainbow Dash exclaimed. I helped Twilight up.

"Jee, Twilight," Applejack said. "I thought you were just spoutin' a lot of whooy, but I recon we really do represent the elements of friendship."

"In deed you do," the voice of a mature woman spoke. The sun rose above the horizon. An orb of light drifted down from the sun into the chamber. From the ray of light, a white alicorn mare emerged with a flowing mane and tail in a ribbon of blue, green, purple, and pink. A gold crown rested on her head and a gold necklace sat around her neck. She was twice as big as any of the girls. Her purple eyes shone with gentleness and wisdom. The girls bowed their heads leaving their flanks in the air. I placed my right hoof over my heart and gave a slight bow in respect.

"Princess Celestia," Twilight said in admiration walking up to the large mare.

"Twilight Sparkle, my faithful student," the princess greeted. "I knew you could do it."

"But you told me it was all an old pony tale," Twilight questioned.

"I told you, you need to make friends, nothing more," Celestia corrected. "I saw the signs of Nightmare Moon's return, and I knew it was you who had the magic inside to defeat her."

"Told ya," I whispered to Twilight. Twilight gave me a slightly annoyed look as the others stood back up.

"But you could not unleash it until you let true friendship into your heart," Celestia continued, "now if only another will as well, Princess Luna." A blue alicorn mare laid where Nightmare Moon once stood with blue shards around her. Her mane was a lighter shade than her coat which supported a small blue crown. She jolted awake at the mention of the name. "It has been a thousand years since I have seen you like this," she said as she approached and knelt next to the smaller alicorn. "Time to put our differences behind us, we were meant to rule together, little sister."

"Sister?" Twilight asked surprised.

"Will you accept my friendship?" Celestia asked rising to her hooves. The others leaned forward waiting for her reply. Pinkie leaned so far she fell over. I suppressed my laughter for the serious moment.

"I'm so sorry," Luna finally answered with tears in her eyes. "I missed you so much, big sister."

"I've missed you too," Celestia replied with tears of joy. Pinkie Pie had a hanky and was crying streams of joy.

"Hey," Pinkie exclaimed abruptly stopping her tear, "do you know what this calls for? A party!" As if Pinkie had planned for it upon our arrival back to town, a big celebration was under way to welcome back both princesses. The princesses rode in on a gold open carriage drawn by four white pegasi in gold armor. Spike rushed to greet Twilight. The citizens bowed in respect to their rulers. A pair of pegasi foals hung a ring of flowers around Luna's neck.

"Why so glum, my faithful student?" Celestia asked Twilight. "Are you not happy you quest is complete, and you can return to your studies in Canterlot?"

"That's just it," Twilight replied. "Just when I learn how wonderful it is to have friends, I have to leave them."

"Spike, take a note please," Celestia instructed. Spike produced a scroll and quill and began dictating. "I, Princess Celestia, hereby decree that the unicorn, Twilight Sparkle, shall take on a new mission for Equestria. She must continue to study the magic of friendship. She must report to me her findings from her new home in Ponyville."

"Thank you, Princess Celestia," Twilight gratefully thanked as her new friends gathered around her. "I'll study harder than ever before." The town cheered.

"Storm Rider," Princess Celestia addressed me. "May I have a word with you?"

"As you wish, Princess," I said as she led me away. Once away from prying ears, she continued,

"You did well looking after my student."

"I didn't really do much. They could have defeated Nightmare Moon without me."

"True, your role was a small one, but you did play a role. However, I do not know how to return you to your world."

"You can play ignorant with your subjects, but not with me." Celestia was surprised by my comment. "It's kind of hard to play coy with someone you've already tipped your hand to. You know of a way to send me back, but the pieces are not in place to use it yet."

"Very astute," Celestia admitted. "I do know of a way, but that path is not ready. What will you do then?"

"I can wait."

"If you like, you may stay at the palace in Canterlot as my guest."

"I appreciate the offer, but I think things will be a little more interesting here in Ponyville. I'd like to stay here."

"Very well, but you might want to learn that glamor spell."

"What glamor spell?"

"The one that is on your hair."

"Oh, so that's how I've been hiding my horn," I said revealing and hiding my horn. "Is there a book in the library with that spell?"

"There is a copy. Speaking of the library if you are going to stay in Ponyville, you will need a place to stay. You may stay in the library. However, I must require you watch out for Twilight Sparkle and her new friends."

"I can work with that, but something is still bothering me."

"What is that?"

"While we were in the forest, I came across some kind of shadow creatures. They were after the girls. According to the book you gave me, that wasn't supposed to happen."

"Speak no more of the book, but you are right. This is troubling news. In addition to looking after Twilight and her friends, you must report to me anything else out of the ordinary."

"Will do," I said as I started to walk away. "Oh, thanks for the suitcase. I'll be sure to put those items to good use."

The celebration lasted the whole day. As evening drew near, I started to feel the side effects of my adventure. As I began to limp toward the library, I felt a peck on my cheek. I turned to see Rainbow Dash.

"Um…what was that for?" I asked.

"Just for, you know all your help. Those were some pretty sick moves. You'll have to show me some of them some time."

"I appreciate that, but you didn't have to thank me. I didn't really do anything."

"Oh okay." I only took a few more steps before I felt another peck. It was Rarity this time.

"Why did you do that?" I asked her.

"We seemed to have gotten off on the wrong hoof. That was to apologize and thank you for all you help."

"I didn't really do anything. You don't have to thank me. Oh and next time you need help, all you have to do is ask. You don't have to charm me into doing work."

"Not that it would work, but I'll keep that in mind. Thanks."

"No big," I simply said. I didn't go far before I felt a peck on the other cheek. I turned to see an orange mare this time.

"What was that for?"

"For all your help, sugar cube. You were a big help," Applejack explained.

"No, I wasn't. Believe me. You could have done it without me," I countered as I continued to limp back. I hadn't got far before I felt another peck. I turned to see the shy pegasus.

"What was that for, Fluttershy?" I almost snapped.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Fluttershy apologized. "I just wanted to thank you. You were really brave."

"Trust me, that wasn't bravery. You didn't have to thank me." I limp toward the tree house again. I was near the library when I felt someone else give me a peck.

"Pinkie, why did you do that?"

"I don't know. Isn't this how everypony is greeting you now?" Pinkie cheerfully asked.

"No, they were just doing that as a way to thank me."

"Okay then," Pinkie said before kissing me on the cheek again and bouncing away.

"You don't have to thank…oh never mind," I said as I approached to the door to the library. A noise caused me to look up. As I did, my lips were met with Dash's lips. "Why did you do that?"

"Um…I was actually going for your cheek again," Dash said as she dropped to the ground next to me.

"Again, why?"

"Well, Pinkie kissed you twice, and I didn't want to be out done. I am the best after all."

"Well you certainly out did everypony else. Look, it's not that I don't appreciate the gesture. I really do, but none of you needed to thank me. Matter of fact, I should be thanking each of you. You're the heroes, not me." I walked in before she could respond. As I closed the door, I felt another peck on the cheek. "Not you too, Twilight," I complained.

"What? I was just trying to thank you," Twilight said taken back a little.

"All six of you," I sighed, "you didn't need to thank me, none of you did."

"What do you mean? You were a big help to us."

"First off know this I will never abandon you or any of your friends. Second, I didn't do anything worthy to be thanked, you did. You and your friends defeated Nightmare Moon, not me. Third, believe me when I say you didn't need me during this whole incident. You never did."

"But you're one of my friends," Twilight said as I limped down stairs.


End file.
